White House Pets

White House Pets

My family brought home a new member today. Meet Asgard, the 7 week old German Shepherd.

In honor of this fuzz-ball, we’re going to take a look at some of the pets who sat beside our commanders-in-chief.

Washington- Kept horses, some of them from the Revolutionary War

Adams– Had two mixed breed dogs, Juno and Satan, and a horse.

Jefferson– Kept a mockingbird named Dick, and two bear cubs.

Madison– Had a green parrot.

Monroe– Had a spaniel.

JQ Adams– Received an alligator given to him by the Marquis de Lafayette and kept it in a White House bathroom. His wife Louisa kept Silkworms.

Jackson– Had several horses and Poll, a parrot that was taught to swear.

Van Buren– The Sultan of Oman gave him a pair of tiger cubs that Congress forced him send to a zoo.

Harris– Kept Billy, a goat, and Sukey, a Durham cow.

Tyler– The General, a horse who is buried on his Sherwood estate, was his favorite. He also had a pair of wolfhounds imported for his wife, Julia, Le Beau, an Italian greyhound and Johnny Ty, a canary that died shortly after they tried to pair him with a mate which turned out to be another male.

Polk– Kept no pets in the White House.

Taylor– Old Whitey, a wartime mount, and Apollo, a former circus pony.

Fillmore– Had two ponies named Mason and Dixon.

Pierce– Had seven small dogs and 2 birds from Japan.

Buchanan– Kept a pair of bald eagles, Punch, a toy terrier, and Lara, a newfoundland.

Lincoln– Had a Pig, the family’s beloved dog, Fido (who stayed home in Springfield, Ill.), ponies belonging to Tad and Willy Lincoln, a white rabbit, two goats, Nanny and Nanko, Jack, Tad Lincoln’s turkey, a dog named Jip and several cats, including Tabby and Dixie.

Johnson– Famously left flour out at night for a family of white mice living in his room during his days of impeachment.

Hayes– Hector, Newfoundland dog, Duke, an English mastiff, Grim, a greyhound, Otis, a miniature schnauzer, Dot, a cocker spaniel, hunting dogs Juno and Shep, another dog Jet, Siam, first Siamese kitten to reach America, Miss Pussy, another Siamese cat, a cat named Piccolomini, a goat, a mockingbird, four canaries, pedigreed Jersey cows and several carriage horses.

Garfield– Had Kit, a mare, and Veto, a newfoudland dog.

Arthur– Kept many horses.

Cleveland– Had a cocker spaniel, a collie, a St. Bernard, dachshunds, foxhounds, canaries and mockingbirds belonging to Mrs. Frances Cleveland, a French poodle, Hector, ponies, hundreds of imported fish including Japanese goldfish and paradise fish, and Shawineck game chickens.

Harrison– Kept several dogs, a billy goat called Old Whiskers, and two opossums named Mr. Reciprocity and Mr. Protection.

McKinley– Had a Mexican double-yellow-headed parrot, which he named Washington Post, angora kittens named Valeriano Weyler and Enrique DeLome, as well as several Roosters.

Roosevelt– His favorite horse was called Bleistein, but other horses included Renown, Roswell, Rusty, Jocko, Root, Grey, Dawn, Wyoming, and Yangenka, General, Judge, Algonquin, and an unnamed Shetland pony. Pete the bull terrier, Rollo the Saint Bernard, Sailor Boy the Chesapeake Bay retriever, Blackjack the Manchester terrier, Skip the mixed breed dog and Manchu the Pekingese all lived in the White House. Emily Spinach, was Alice Roosevelt’s snake, and lived with other snakes belonging to Quentin Roosevelt along with Eli Yale, a Hyacinth macaw. Cats Tom Quartz and Slippers stayed in the house. Small animals included Josiah the badger, a rabbit named Peter, two kangaroo rats, a flying squirrel, guinea pigs Admiral Dewey, Dr. Johnson, Bob Evans, Bishop Doan, and Father O’Grady. Roosevelt also famously kept his own personal zoo including a lion, a hyena, a wildcat, a coyote, five bears, two parrots, a zebra, a barn owl, lizard, roosters, hens, pigs, and a raccoon.

Taft– Had a dog, Caruso, a cow named Mooly Wooly and Pauline Wayne that was the last cow at the White House.

Wilson– Kept Old Ike, the tobacco-chewing ram, sheep that grazed on the White House Lawn, Davie an Airedale terrier, Mountain Boy the greyhound, Bruce the bull terrier, a cat named Puffins and several songbirds.

Harding– Had an Airedale terrier named Laddie Boy, and English bulldog named Old Boy, a squirrel named Pete and canaries belonging to Florence Harding.

Coolidge– Kept several dogs including Prudence Prim, Rob Roy, Peter Pan, Paul Pry, Calamity Jane, Tiny Tim, Blackberry, Ruby Rouch, Bessie, Boston Beans, King Kole, and Palo Alto, many of which were collies. He also had canaries, Nip, Tuck and Snowflake, a thrush named Old Bill, a goose, Enoch, a mockingbird, and several cats. There were two raccoons Rebecca and Reuben, Ebenezer, a donkey, Smoky, a bobcat given to them by dignitaries from other countries, two lion cubs (humorously named Tax Reduction and Budget Bureau), a wallaby, a pygmy hippo named Billy, and a black bear!

Truman– Had three dogs, Feller, the unwanted dog, a cocker spaniel named Mike, and Margaret Truman’s Irish setter.

Eisenhower– A weimeraraner name Heidi, and Gabby the parakeet.

JFK– Had Welsh terrir Charlie, Gaullie, a French poodle, Pushinka, a mixed-breed dog (gift from Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev), Shannon, a cocker spaniel, Wolf, an Irish wolfhound, Clipper, a German shepherd, as well as Pushinka and Charlie’s puppies named Butterfly, White Tips, Blackie and Streaker. A cat named Tom Kitten, a canary named Robin, parakeets Bluebell and Marybelle, Macaroni, Tex and Leprechaun the ponies, hamsters Debbie and Billie and Zsa Zsa the rabbit added to the menagerie.

LBJ– Had four beagles named Him, Her, edga and Freckles, Blanco, a collie, Yuki, a mixed-breed dog, as well as several hamsters and lovebirds.

Nixon– Had a dog named Checkers, a poodle named Vicky, a terrier, Pasha, and an Irish setter called King Timahoe.

Ford– Kept Liberty, the golden retriever, Misty, one of Liberty’s puppies, Lucky, another dog, and Shan, a Siamese cat.

Reagan– Had Lucky, the Bouvier des Flandres, Rex, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Victory, a golden retriever, Peggy, an Irish setter, Taca, a Siberian husky, Fuzzy, a Belgian sheepdog, and horses at his ranch

H.W. Bush– Kept an English springer spaniel, Millie, and later one of her puppies named Ranger.

Clinton– Had Socks the cat, and Buddy the Labrador retriever.

Bush– Kept a Scottish terrier, Miss Beazley, Spot, an English springer spaniel and the offspring of Millie, Barney, another Scottish terrier, India “Willie,” a cat and Ofelia a longhorn cow at his ranch.

Obama– Had Bo and Sunny, the Portuguese water dogs.

Trump-Has no pets as of yet, but a golden-doodle puppy has reportedly been offered to the current president.